The present invention relates generally to a portable container for dispensing liquids. More specifically, the present invention relates to a hand pressurized water pump and sprayer, suitable for mounting on a bicycle.
It is often times desirable to refresh oneself and/or quench one's thirst without the need to stop and dismount the bicycle. It is well known in the art to mount a water bottle to the frame of a bicycle which is selectively removable by the rider. At the rider's discretion, the water, or other liquid disposed within the container, may be consumed to quench the rider's thirst or poured over the rider's body to effect cooling.
When drinking from a container of this nature, the rider's view of the road is greatly distracted, the rider must tilt his head backward in order to obtain a drink. A hazard also exists when the rider pours the contents of the container over his body to effect cooling, as the excess water which spills onto the road may loosen the oils and other slippery substances on the road, and may cause the bicycle to slide. Further, during either of these activities, as well as during removal and replacement of the container, the rider is forced to steer and balance the bicycle with only one hand. Moreover, the rider's attention is further distracted from the road while reaching for the container or replacing the container, as it is generally located on the lower part of the support frame.
Another prior art device is a water bottle connected to an extensible drinking straw as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,812 to Rowe. This retractable straw allows the rider to drink the liquid contained within the container by simply sucking on the straw. While the retractable straw solves the problem associated with the backward tilting of one's head to obtain a drink from the water bottle described above, this device is also distracting and unsafe. Thus, prior to drinking from the straw, the rider must either grope blindly for the straw or divert his attention from the road so as to locate and grasp the straw. This reaching movement may have detrimental effects on the rider's balance and view of the road. Further, the straw does not provide the rider with a means for cooling his body while riding the bicycle.
Accordingly, with the existing art, it continues to be unsafe for the rider of a bicycle to obtain a drink while riding, as the rider's attention must be diverted when reaching for either the water bottle or the extensible straw of the aforementioned devices. Additionally, reaching for either the bottle or the straw forces the rider to steer the bicycle with only one hand, thereby lessening his control over the bicycle, a factor which necessitates a reduction in speed in order to proceed safely.